I love listening to music. I have a sincere passion for a wide variety of genres from country to hip hop and everything in between. I'm not one of those moms who drives around in the car letting my kids listen to their lullabies and nursery rhyme songs. It's one of the only few and far between moments that I get to listen to MY music without anyone telling me what they want to listen to instead. I refuse to drive around "rocking out" to Nickelodeon's Fresh Beat Band or bobbing my head to Wheels on the Bus when I'm forced to listen to the sunshine and rainbow tunes all day long while the boys watch their cartoons. So don't get me wrong, I don't deprive them of the kiddie music. It's just when driving I don't find anything much more satisfying then jamming out to great tunes all while introducing my children to "real" music.
Now, here's the issue at hand. What's the best kind of music to allow your children to listen to? I always thought being the good mom I am to never listen to my fuck filled rap music around the boys, that's a given. So I thought country would be the next best, especially since it's one of my true loves, which by the way years ago I swore up and down I would NEVER listen to country music. For the most part the tunes are what I considered kid friendly, that is until I started to notice Aiden busting out singing tunes he had memorized on his own. There's something that just doesn't seem right or "appropriate" when a four year old is singing "Rain makes corn, corn makes whiskey, whiskey makes my baby feel a little frisky" or "It's a quarter after one and I'm a little drunk and I need you now" or "A drink in my hand with no bottom". So the country songs may not be full of cuss words, but instead many mention drinking, partying and getting drunk. Which is better??? Obviously I'd rather have my child singing about drinking rather then busting out f bombs in preschool, but either way the content just isn't very age appropriate for my little ones. If you know me I'm far from a prude and very laid back when it comes to raising my kids. I have no fear of drinking a beer in front of them, although it's not like I'm getting sloshed around them by any means either. However, the last thing I need my child to be singing about in school or around other people who don't really know us is topics involving things he won't be legal to do until 16 years from now. It's funny at home around us and our friends who know what great parents me and Don are, but then you get outside around people who wouldn't understand and would look down on us for those type of songs coming out of our sweet four year old's mouth. I want to say I don't give a shit what other people think about my kids or us as parents since I know the truth along with the people who we care about, but I also don't need Aiden teaching other kids these songs and have their parents no longer allow their kids to play with him because of it. Trust me, his favorite saying of poopy baby diaper has probably come close to knocking out a few good buddies of his thanks to his lovely potty mouth.
With that all said, I feel like I just ranted and raved on about something so silly that I really shouldn't even be worried about. Is that what makes me a good parent at the end of the day? That I really can be concerned with what my child is learning and what kind of words are coming out of their mouths without seeming like an overbearing and over protective prune of a mother? I sure hope so!
I think it's important to introduce children of all ages to music of all genres. It only helps expand their minds and knowledge of an amazing art that can be inspirational and change lives. I want them to grow up knowing how cool their parents really are because at times we choose to turn the tv off and crank the tunes up and I only want them to follow in our footsteps and make music one of their great true loves as well.
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